95 5 Speed Low Miles - Rare • Lots of Mods • SOLD!

Sold

Well, it's done. The record is over. This car has sold. I can't be happier. The car went to fellow club member and Tbird enthusiast Matt. He's happy. I'm happy. Farewell to you all.

David
 
Record Views • Record Replies

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Replies: 127

Records likely to never be broken in the Cars for Sale section.

To me this says that the Thunderbird has entered the realm of enthusiast collector/basic transportation. Here in Southern California the almost the only Tbirds you see are beaters and used as basic transportation. Very, very few are nice well maintained cars driven by their original owners. There are no good looking modified Tbirds on the road here. You never see another SC.

The only way you'll really sell one of these cars is to someone who sold, wrecked or lost the one they already have and want another.

David
 
It's about damn time.

Congrats david. I suspect we'll see you back in a couple of years.

Matt, lower that damn thing. You got real nice car though...
 
It's about damn time.


Yes it is.

I am glad this went to an SCCOA member. I have watched this thread (along with many others) for a long time, trying to justify adding yet ANOTHER bird to the household. I think distance and lack of parking places prevented me from seriously considering this, but someone purchased themselves a VERY NICE CAR !

Horn
 
It's about damn time.

Congrats david. I suspect we'll see you back in a couple of years.

Matt, lower that damn thing. You got real nice car though...

Hi Bud.

I had a great time with the car, was able to build a fast sleeper, was ready to sell it four years ago, and, considering my history with this particular car (being my dad's car and all), have no interest in getting another. I'm more into the handling side of cars and the options for really building up a suspension for the Tbird just aren't there. That plus the fact that several important parts are NLA makes me even less likely to get one in the future. I enjoyed my time with the car but am ready to move on.

Now that the car has sold, I'm going to enjoy - for at least a little while - having no maintenance, registration or insurance bills for a third car. There will be a third car in the future as my son will be 15 in January and, unlike my daughter, has shown interest in getting a license. Here's what the garage holds now, or would if the garage was cleaned up a bit:

2008 Ford Explorer 4x4
2003 BMW 530i Sport Package 5 Speed

The Explorer is a great car and the wife loves it. 97,000 miles on it, we just painted the hood (check your detailers on Yelp first. The hood was ruined by a bad detailer), and a good detail made it look like new. Only mod is a K&N air filter. V6 4.0.

The BMW is my car. The 2003 e39 was one of the best sedans BMW ever made. I wanted an everything car. Something that will hold four full size people (at 14 my son is a bit over 6'1"), be sporty but still get ok mileage. When I bought this car 4 years ago, it took over a year of looking for a 6 cylinder, low mile, sport package model. My best friend is a former BMW mechanic, Indy Car crew member, race engine builder and past master with all things BMW. BMWs have an extensive catalog of tuners and after-market manufacturers. A 2003 BMW M5 is still far easier to find, but I wanted the relative economy of the in-line 6. Because of the VANOS you get 100% of the torque at a really broad range of RPMs, where on the Tbird, more shifting and building of speed is necessary. The Tbird was faster off the line, but the BMW can still get out of its own way. Both cars weigh about the same. Absolutely no question that the BMW handles better. At the moment M5 sway bars, a cross tower brace, a cold air intake 9.5 x 18 wheels with 275/35 18 tires make up the list of performance mods. The brakes are stock and more than 1/2" larger than the 13" Cobra rotors I put on the Tbird. I just bought, but have yet to install, Koni shocks, TC Kline camber plates and H&R springs to replace the worn ones on the car, but with just the swaybars, tower brace, new bushings all around and tires, the BMW out-handled the Tbird even after all I'd done to it.

Here's the list of third cars I've been looking at as a potential third car:

  • 1990-94 Mazda Miata with the thought of eventually turning it into a Monster Miata.
  • Factory Five Mk IV Roadster
  • Factory Five 818
  • 2004 Mustang SVT Cobra
  • 2009-10 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
  • MINI Cooper S or Clubman Cooper S with TC Kline suspension. I drove a TC Kline MINI. The best handling car I've ever driven
  • 1995 BMW M3
  • 1999 BMW 328i


I may also get my Dad's 2008 Ford Focus. I like the way this car drives. Unfortunately an automatic, but would be a better car for a teenager than any of the other cars at which I'm looking.

Anyway. I did have fund with my Tbird but won't ever get another.

David
 
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